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Emergency

STERRY119845

New member
1998 R1100RTP. I checked level of final drive last night ( from top plug ) looks good. Get to work and needed to get temp tag for a guy who is taking bus to buy bike today. It appears final drive is leaking from drain plug on final drive. Engle Motors is closed on Mondays. Where can I get washer. Anyone from Kansas City on?
 
Last edited:
tschamp said:
Where can I get washer.
NAPA, CarQuest, Ace Hardware, etc.

If you want to pay BMW prices, just PayPal me the difference between what you pay and what BMW charges for the same part.
 
Bottom of the threads for the fill plug when the bike is on the centerstand. Should be about 8 ounces.

Make sure you buy an ALUMINUM crush washer for the drain plug.
 
Washer

Which washer do you ask for, or do you take the old one in? Is there a part number? Are the other crush washers available? Thanks, JEff
 
apopj said:
Which washer do you ask for, or do you take the old one in? Is there a part number? Are the other crush washers available? Thanks, JEff
Best bet is to take the old crush washer and the bolt that crushes it in with you. You'll want a good close fit to the shaft of the bolt to keep it centered and make sure you have a wide enough crush area to seal between the bolt and the drive case where it seats. It's not rocket science and there isn't that much difference in brands or sources of crush washers. Just get one to fit and your good.
 
It wasn't the plug. Put more fluid in and it was coming out pretty fast between rotor and drive unit. Guy decided to buy it anyway and trailer it home. Thanks guys!
 
BE SURE its your plug!

I hope it is for your sake,BUT? My R1100GS did same leak and it was rear main seal, over ringgear. This is fairly easy fix, too, but you have to have a new seal and gasket. It leaked right over drain plug, making it look like a plug leak. Check closely. Good luck, Randy13233
 
quick suggestion for the future,

the tightening torque on the rear drive drain bolt is 17ft lbs

tighten to 16ft lbs

if you ever need to change the fluid and you don't have an extra washer, you can tighten to 18 ft lbs or so and it should be fine. it worked for me recently, but to be safe, i'd just buy a few extra washers and keep them handy. crush washers are only as good for reuse based on how "squished" they are. if it's as flat as a pancake, then they will never be able to be reused in an emergency
 
BubbaZanetti said:
....crush washers are only as good for reuse based on how "squished" they are. if it's as flat as a pancake, then they will never be able to be reused in an emergency

My experience is different. I have, from time to time, started an oil change without checking whether or not I had a supply of the proper size crush washers. With the oil drained and no new washer to use, I have reused the old crush washer. While I agree that it is not recommended, I have also never had a leak problem with a reused crush washer.
 
You said it wasn't the drain plug that it came from between the rotor and the drive....are you talking behind the wheel at the final drive seal. The guy will at least need a new seal for it but when your FD main bearing goes the busted bearing cage will also ruin the seal so hope its not a bad big bearing.$$
 
i've re-used crush washers on bikes/cars several times. the worst i ever had was a drip-a-day leak.
 
Like almost everything mechanical, there is a usually OK way and then there is the better way. Not using a new crush washer is usually OK, but using a new one is better. I usually buy about 2 dozen of them at a time - 6 each of a couple of sizes and a dozen of a third size. Still, I occasionally run out.

If you reuse a crush washer there are three risks you need to be aware of and think about.

1. When you squish a new crush washer while tightening a plug you can easily feel it compressing and can feel the plug getting progressively tighter. When you reuse a crush washer which is already compressed you lose most of that progressive feel and the plug seems to get tight very suddenly. It is much easier to strip the threads in this situation.

2. For the same reasons as in 1, it is difficult to tell when the plug is tight, and how tight. If you didn't get it tight enough the plug can loosen and fall out. This is particularly troublesome when the plug that falls out is either an engine oil drain plug or a transmission oil drain plug. These tend to dump the oil right undr your rear tire.

3. Reusing the crush washer sometimes causes a slight drip or seepage. This is the least serious of the three problems.

If you need to reuse a crush washer because you don't have and can't easily get one, then take extra care when you tighten the plug. It won't feel the same as when you have a new crush washer. Instead of maybe 1/8 turn as you feel it getting progressively tighter, it will be loose and then tight with only a few degrees of rotation. Be careful (#1), but not too careful (#2).
 
Paul, have you heard of reusing a (copper) crush washer by reshaping it with needlenose pliers and then reannealing it with a propane torch and then quenching it in water?

I know that sounds like ridiculous effort to go to; I think I heard about this from the Airheads, so that would make sense. ;-)

However, I did have some mixed success with it when I found I needed to reuse the crush washer that seals the exhaust headers for my R60/2. These are, naturally, large as crush washers go, and neither the dealer nor your local Napa is going to have them.
 
Some of those copper crush washers were formed (wrapped) around an asbestos core. Guess why you can't get them anymore. Apparently some of that asbestos might escape. The reforming and heating was an old trick to use in an emergency when you didn't have a new one. So, some of the more impoverished riders who didn't have 3 cents for a new one thought it was a great thing to do on a routine basis. I tried it once - thought it was a lot more trouble than it was worth. I just started buying them by the bunch.

If I had an exhaust application where I couldn't readily get what I needed I might try it again. But, Engles in KC can usually get stuff to me UPS the next day if I call before noon so I haven't had these problems lately.

On some seldom opened stuff - bottom of fork legs, brake hose banjo bolts, etc. I've found that the local (large) Ace Hardware Store has a good assortment of metric crush washers so I can usually match up the size.

Since I live about 5 miles out of town I seem to run up a lot of miles running to the hardware store for stuff I find at home right after I get back from buying new stuff at the store.
 
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